3,075,638 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Acquired by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 3,075,638 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $780,569,000. Apple comprises about 1.2% of Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AAPL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the first quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Apple by 890.7% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after acquiring an additional 37,746,784 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $313.33 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $219.25 and a fifty-two week high of $344.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $309.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $283.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.57 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, DZ Bank cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.44.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook’s Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple’s Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple’s Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple’s Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

About Apple

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.